My Pokémon Ranch (Japanese: みんなのポケモン牧場Everyone's Pokémon Ranch) is a WiiWare title that was announced at Nintendo's fall 2007 conference. It is not considered a game, but rather an accessory for owners of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. It was developed by Ambrella and can be purchased for 1,000 Wii Points. Pokémon can be transferred from Diamond and Pearl and stored on a farm. The player can use up to 8 Diamond and Pearl games to send their Pokémon, which then can be organized in the ranch by factors like height and weight. Hayley will give the player information on the Pokémon, which will be different from the info in the games. She will also bring a Pokémon each day to the ranch for which the player can trade. She will ask what type of Pokémon she will bring to the ranch next.

The farm is owned by Hayley, a friend of Bebe's. Players can sort, take pictures, and interact with up to 1,000 of their Pokémon.

It is essentially a Generation IV version of Pokémon Box. However, it is notable that Pokémon Ranch is similar to Pokémon Battle Revolution in that it will only interact with specific save files. This means that if a Pokémon is placed on the ranch, only the game from which it was placed onto the ranch may take the Pokémon back off it. This prevents people storing Pokémon and starting a new game - something for which previous storage titles were quite useful.

On November 5, 2008, My Pokémon Ranch was issued an update with the ability to communicate to Pokémon Platinum in Japan. According to an article in the now deleted Pokémon.com mailbag, there are no current plans to release this update outside of Japan. My Pokémon Ranch will not work with Platinum without this update. It is completely incompatible with HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Contents

Blurb

The Pokémon phenomenon debuts on WiiWare with My Pokémon Ranch, a game that lets you watch as Pokémon and Miis interact with each other for the first time. Enjoy the relaxing Ranch life by viewing your Ranch and its Pokémon, taking pictures, and sending those pictures to your friends via the Wii Message Board. The more Pokémon and Miis that you bring to your Ranch, the more fun it becomes!

My Pokémon Ranch can be linked with the Nintendo DS Pokémon Diamond version and Pokémon Pearl version Game Cards to deposit the Pokémon you've caught in these games to your Ranch! You can deposit a maximum of 1,000 Pokémon from up to eight different Game Cards! Make your Ranch more lively by playing with your friends and family!

Features

Initial features

Hayley with a player's Pokémon

My Pokémon Ranch is able to connect, store and withdraw Pokémon from 8 different Diamond or Pearl game cards using the Nintendo DS's connectivity. It is able to store up to 1,000 Pokémon at a time; however, the number rises to 1,500 after the Platinum update is applied.

Pokémon and Miis can interact in full 3D on the Wii. A Pokémon's behavior in the ranch can be determined by the Pokémon's Nature, moves, etc.

The player is able to take pictures at any time when on the ranch and save them to the message board or a SD card. Taking pictures of objects can be made easier by applying a Focus Lock or spinning the screen around using the Nunchuk.

Using WiiConnect24, the player can send pictures he or she has taken on the ranch to other friends.

If a Pokémon came from a special place or is level 100, they will sparkle in green or blue sparkles, respectively. If both are applicable to the said Pokémon, then there will be sparkles of both colors.

Platinum update

On November 5, 2008, My Pokémon Ranch was issued an update with the ability to communicate to Pokémon Platinum. This update has not been released outside of Japan. My Pokémon Ranch will not work with Platinum without this update, meaning the title is incompatible with Pokémon Platinum in regions other than Japan.

In this update, the following features were added:

The ranch can now rise to level 26, which, allowing storage of an extra 500 Pokémon, brings the total to 1500.

Photos can be added to or from the SD card in bulk, instead of one at a time. Album size is increased from 20 to 30.

Ranch Levels

Ranch level

Requirement

Maximum # of Pokémon

# of toys

Maximum # of Miis

Events

1

Starting Level

20

1

5

2

Deposit 7 Pokémon

25

1

5

3

Deposit 10 Pokémon

30

1

5

4

Deposit 15 Pokémon

40

1

10

5

Deposit 20 Pokémon

50

1

10

Unlocks Free Mode

6

Deposit 30 Pokémon

60

1

10

7

Deposit 40 Pokémon

80

1

10

8

Deposit 50 Pokémon

100

2

15

9

Deposit 60 Pokémon

150

2

15

10

Deposit 80 Pokémon

200

2

15

Unlocks Favorites

11

Deposit 100 Pokémon

250

3

20

12

Deposit 120 Pokémon

300

3

20

13

Deposit 150 Pokémon

350

3

20

14

Deposit 200 Pokémon

400

3

20

15

Deposit 250 Pokémon

500

4

20

Phione available for trade

16

Deposit 300 Pokémon

600

4

20

17

Deposit 350 Pokémon

700

4

20

18

Deposit 400 Pokémon

800

4

20

19

Deposit 450 Pokémon

900

4

20

20

Deposit 500 Pokémon

1000

5

20

Hayley's Pokémon are moved to a barnPallet toy appears in toy boxes

21

Deposit 600 Pokémon

1000

5

20

22

Deposit 700 Pokémon

1000

5

20

23

Deposit 800 Pokémon

1000

5

20

24

Deposit 900 Pokémon

1000

5

20

25

Deposit 999 Pokémon

1000

6

20

Mew available for trade

26

Deposit 1000 Pokémon

1500

6

20

Platinum update only

Pokémon

Wanted Pokémon

Details on how to catch a Wanted Pokémon

Once a player has stored Pokémon for the first time, Hayley will take the player's Pokédex data and request "Wanted Pokémon" from it, Pokémon that are typically not yet in the player's Pokédex. Once the player's Pokédex is filled, not counting event-only Pokémon, she'll compliment the player on their Pokédex and start requesting ones that the player has already caught. The game will provide the player with all the information on acquiring the listed Pokémon, including information on a Pokémon's pre-evolved form, and if an item is needed to evolve it, where that item can be found. This can be used to both assist and motivate said player into completing their Pokédex. The player is given 10 days to acquire this Pokémon until the post is removed and a new one is made. "Wanted Pokémon" requests are not tied to specific game cards. If one player deposits a Pokémon that Hayley requested from another player, it will be taken off the Wanted list and she will ask the player to show the other player how to find Pokémon. If all of the Wanted posts expire, Hayley will ask the player to connect their DS so new ones can be made.

Hayley's trades

Whenever the player brings in one of the "Wanted Pokémon", Hayley will offer to trade one of her Pokémon for it, and the Pokémon received will be one of the following twenty and will know a TM, Egg move, or have something else that makes them unique. The Pokémon available for trade are limited to ones that Hayley has already brought to the ranch. She will occasionally bring a tradeable when the player chooses "No" for both answers when Hayley asks what kind of Pokémon she should bring to the ranch the next day.

All of these Pokémon will have the OT Hayley (English) or ユカリ (Japanese) and the Trainer ID number 01000. Note that all of the Pokémon with specific Natures cannot have a different Nature, gender, or Ability, and they cannot be Shiny.

Special Pokémon

These two Pokémon are only available once certain requirements are fulfilled. Once 250 Pokémon are present on the ranch, the ranch will expand and jump to a new level. When this level is obtained, Hayley will add a new Pokémon to the "Wanted" board, Leafeon. When Leafeon is brought to the ranch, she will offer to trade it for her Phione. When 999 Pokémon are present, the ranch will expand and jump to level 25, the maximum level. Once this level is obtained, a new wanted Pokémon will be added. Hayley is now asking for any Pokémon Egg. When the egg is brought, she will offer to trade it for her Mew.

Events

A typical totem pole

Regular events happen around the ranch at all times; Miis may interact with Pokémon by dancing with them or running away from them, mend fences, or sit down and observe Pokémon. Pokémon occasionally use attacks on each other (though causing no adverse effect), greet each other, or run away from Pokémon with type advantages against them. Attacks are not specialized, but are general type attacks; for example, there is no Fire Blast or Thunder Fang, only generic, type-specific attacks such as Electric Pokémon electrocuting others or Fire-type Pokémon breathing fire.

Every 15 minutes, a random event in the ranch will occur. These events don't have any real significance and are only intended for a good picture opportunity. Some events only occur after the player has a certain amount of Pokémon or certain kind of Pokémon in the ranch.

New Platinum events

Surf - Water Pokémon use Surf to cover the ranch in water. They then swim and jump through the water.

Dialga vs Palkia

Zangoose vs Seviper

Darkrai vs Cresselia

Rotom forms

Toys

Toys with which Pokémon and Miis may play are delivered to the ranch every day. The type of toys delivered randomly changes every day and the amount of toys depends on the size of the ranch. Each toy comes in a present box which must be picked up and dropped to open.

Initial toys

The following is a list of toys available in My Pokémon Ranch:

Name

Picture

Description

In-gamecaptions

Attractor

A magnetic device that Miis can use to draw Pokémon to them.

(Mii) might want to attract attention...

Bonfire

A fire that Pokémon and Miis can watch. Pokémon can be burned. Water type attacks temporarily douse the flames.

(Pokémon) is enjoying the Bonfire. When burned: (Pokémon) came too close to the Bonfire.

Bounce back ball

An incredibly bouncy ball that knocks away any Pokémon and Miis it hits while moving. The faster the ball's speed, the farther that victims are sent flying.

Club Look-See

Club Look-See is a group of people that will come to the Ranch and invite the player to see their ranch. Each member is assigned a number (#1, #2, #3, and so on) and they will appear in order of their number. Each member's ranch has a certain theme, this means that each of their ranches is filled with a certain Pokémon. Each member's Mii also typically bears some resemblance to the Pokémon they have. These are special occurrences that will happen periodically.
After all 37 (40 in Platinum) have been met for the first time, they will appear in the future, but not in order.

Reception

My Pokémon Ranch received generally negative reviews. The largest criticisms of the game was the lack of interaction with the game,[4] and the fact that the player has to own a copy of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for the majority of the game's features to be accessible.[5] In addition, some reviewers criticized the game's Mii-like graphics, with IGN calling it "the ugliest Pokémon game to hit any video game system".[6] The game received an average score of 47% on Metacritic.

Trivia

Some Pokémon have certain characteristics exclusive to the species: for example, Mankey is often angry, and Weezing will occasionally emit a yellow, stinky gas that scares away other Pokémon (similar to the toy Stinky ball).